Multiple starters and role players for the Atlanta Hawks are injured, and most are about to be out for a while.
Head Coach Quin Snyder was aware of the team’s durability problem after leading the team for two seasons and encouraged the front office to hire new medical staff members this past off-season. But the 2024-25 season is upon us, and health issues persist even with new medical staff members.
Bench battling injuries
The staff can only control so much, but injuries have become a problem for the Hawks.
According to ESPN, Sophomore combo guard Kobe Bufkin is out with a shoulder subluxation that he suffered in a team practice on October 21st. Sophomore small forward Seth Lundy is dealing with a lingering ankle injury he suffered last season versus the Chicago Bulls on December 26th, 2023.
Fourth-year guard Vit Krejci suffered a right abductor strain during their loss to the Washington Wizards on October 28th and will be re-evaluated in two weeks. On that same day, sixth man Bogdan Bogdanovic underwent a non-surgical procedure on his hamstring. He will be re-evaluated in four weeks. These injuries have absolutely depleted the Hawks’ bench.
Starters aren’t safe either
The starting lineup has also been affected. De’Andre Hunter’s right knee has been a problem his entire NBA career, and he has never played over 70+ games across five seasons. His knee flared up again to start the 2024-25 campaign and he has missed the last six games due to right knee management.
The Hawks defense was suffering enough without Hunter. To add insult to injury (pun intended) defensive star Dyson Daniels is struggling with a right hip flexor strain. It looks like Dyson will play through the injury, but the medical staff is monitoring him day-to-day. On top of all of this, Trae Young sustained a right rib pain during Monday night’s 123-93 loss to the Boston Celtics. He will have to play through the pain if cleared to return.
Just two weeks in, the Hawks roster is skeletal. After beginning the season 2-0, the Hawks are now 3-5 and have some of the league’s best talent on their November schedule. They will face the Boston Celtics (again), New York Knicks, Sacramento Kings, Golden State Warriors, and Cleveland Cavaliers. All five teams possess superstar talent that will cause major problems for the Hawks if they don’t have a healthy rotation.
The new medical staff
Fans have raised questions surrounding the medical staff’s capabilities with the injury report getting longer by the day. The front office hired Ryan Donahue, Ryan Brooks, and Ben Peterson in the offseason. They all have credible backgrounds and different areas of expertise that led to their selections.
Donahue was a physical therapist at the Andrews Institute of Orthopedics and Sports Medicine. In July 2015, he became the director of reconditioning for the San Francisco 49ers and stayed with them until accepting the Hawks job this past summer. He is the Head Of Medical for the entire staff and worked with Peterson during their time in San Francisco, where they spent five years together.
After graduating from the University of Minnesota in 2013, Peterson worked for Catapult Sports as Director of Research and Analytics. In 2016, he got a job for the Philadelphia Flyers as the director of Sports Science. He left the Flyers in March of 2019 for the 49ers where he served as Vice President Of Player Health & Performance and will do the same for the Hawks after joining in July.
Brooks received a Bachelor’s degree in Exercise & Sports Science before earning a Ph.D in Physical Therapy from UNC. He worked for Duke University athletics from 2022-23 for a physical therapy fellowship using his knowledge of sports medicine to assist the Blue Devils’ football team, Men’s basketball team, and Olympic sports athletes. He was the director of rehabilitation for the Rutgers men’s football team before accepting the Hawks job in September.
Same problems
Regardless of their new hires, the injury bug has stayed alive and well. Given the season just started, it will take time to see if they can improve the health of the roster with new training methods. Constant wear and tear on the body is inevitable at the NBA level, so fans must give them a chance.
Players like Mikal Bridges‘ spectacular health is an anomaly in an era of load management and perpetual inury. This is an era where the Philadelphia 76ers were recently fined $100,000 for Joel Embiid’s injury-related inactivity. In Los Angeles, future Hall of Famer Kawhi Leonard has been hurt for most of his five-year tenure with the Clippers, and finally played 65+ games last season for the first time in six seasons. In New Orleans, the Pelicans have lost Dejounte Murray, CJ McCollum, Herbert Jones, and Trey Murphy to injuries that will take weeks to recover from.
Atlanta is not the only franchise dealing with injuries, but the Hawks are one of the youngest rosters in the league, with an average age of 25.1 years old. Given this youthfulness, the rate of their injuries is very alarming. As of right now, they have no choice but to weather the storm and keep performing. The healthy Hawks will have to wait for their reinforcements to return, but if this trend continues, the Hawks will have struggle making it out of the lottery.
Leave a comment